Leap Year Birthday

From Giftypedia

Leap years are years with 366 days instead of the usual 365. This extra day is added to the calendar on February 29th. Julius Caesar's astronomer added days to different months so that their festivals would occur at the same time each year. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII further refined the calendar with the rule that leap day would occur in any year divisible by 4.

It is believed that the tradition of women proposing to men was started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.

In 1288, Scotland passed a law that women could propose to men during that year. Men who declined were fined.

According to Greek tradition, it is bad luck to marry in a Leap Year.

The United States has Sadie Hawkins Day, which was created by the artist Al Capp for the comic strip Li'l Abner. On this day, women run after unmarried men to propose. Some communities prefer to celebrate this day in November, when it was first mentioned in the strip.